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Well, obviously I was off when I was coming up with my 53-man roster. I thought Lance Long cost himself a shot, I thought Aaron Francisco was ahead of Matt Ware, and I thought the Cards would want to keep a veteran like Victor Hobson over a rookie like Reggie Walker. I thought Elton Brown was in trouble and that Melvin Fowler would topple Ben Claxton in the battle to back up Lyle Sendlein.

Nevertheless, the list is in. It’s not final by any stretch, and we’ll get a better idea of what coach Ken Whisenhunt was thinking at his 3 p.m. press conference. One thing is for sure — Whisenhunt and his staff are always looking to develop younger players. It’s the only way to survive in this league, so even if, for instance, Walker is a tad below Hobson, he’s likely got more long-term upside. This roster also clearly rewards hard work. You need talent, of course, but you see young undrafted guys like Walker, Michael Adams, Long, even Stephen Spach and you see the kind of mentality Whiz wants in the locker room.

In a couple of days, the Cards and coach Ken Whisenhunt will make their final decisions on an opening day roster (or close to it), trimming another 22 players from the current squad to 53. So that means I make my annual guesstimate on who is in, who is out, and who is truly on the bubble. This is never a foolproof thing; if there is a guy or two who pops available on the waiver wire the Cards want it changes the dynamics of what can happen, and that initial 22 can grow by a name or two to bring in newbies. That certainly happened on the practice squad last year, when the Cards went shopping for new names who weren’t around during training camp.

Again, this is my opinion, based on what I have seen and heard but still my opinion. And it doesn’t factor in what happens in Denver and if a guy wows a coach or two. Or if a guy gets hurt. It’s also just about the 53; for instance, undrafted rookie LB Reggie Walker doesn’t look like he will make the 53-man roster but he’s a guy who should end up on the practice squad. (Speaking of which, * will designate some PS candidates):